The fact that British Columbia has both the highest housing prices and the highest average rents in Canada could be one of the many reasons why B.C. leads the country in evictions again, according to a new report.

Silas Xuereb, an independent researcher, and Craig Jones, associate director of UBC Housing Research Collaborative, say these conditions give landlords 害羞草研究所渋ncreased incentives to evict tenants so that they can raise rents or sell properties for a profit.害羞草研究所�

Jones later added in a follow up interview that B.C. has a significantly higher eviction rate than any other province except PEI (with the difference not being statistically significant), because B.C. has a higher no-fault eviction rate.

About 10.5 per cent of renting households in British Columbia told the 2021 Canadian Housing Survey that their landlords forced them to move between April 2016 to early 2021, compared to 5.9 per cent nationally.

The vast majority of those of evictions 害羞草研究所� 85 per cent 害羞草研究所� qualify as no-fault evictions. They happen when landlords claim properties for their own use, sell them, demolish them, convert them or repair them. Nationally, just under 65 per cent of evictions qualify as no-fault evictions.

Jones said he does not know what causes the high frequency of no-fault evictions in B.C., but acknowledged that market conditions incentivize landlords.

According to Xuereb and Jones, average housing prices are nearly $300,000 higher than the national average and monthly rents are $500 above the national average, providing increased incentives for landlords to evict tenants to raise rents or sell the property.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 one potential reason, one potential reason among many potential reasons,害羞草研究所� Jones said.

RELATED:

Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area has Canada害羞草研究所檚 highest eviction rate at 10.4 per cent and similar eviction rates in Vancouver and B.C. as a whole 害羞草研究所渋ndicate that high eviction rates are a problem throughout British Columbia, not only in Vancouver.害羞草研究所�

The most common reason reported for no-fault evictions nationally was the sale of properties with one-third of all evictions, followed by landlords wanting the property for personal use or their immediate family害羞草研究所檚 use at 25 per cent.

Almost 80 per cent of tenant households have either private individuals or companies as landlords, with co-ops, non-profit organizations, governments, relatives and employers owning the rest.

While it is not clear under which ownership arrangements most no-fault evictions happen, the authors point out that 害羞草研究所減rivate landlords are more likely than non-profit and co-operative landlords to be profit-motivated and sell properties that have inflated in value.害羞草研究所�

On the other hand, the report concludes that 害羞草研究所渞ates of eviction are lower in social and affordable housing, non- profit, and co-op housing, showing that non-market housing can be effective at protecting tenants from evictions.害羞草研究所�

Specifically, it finds that just over four per cent of tenants in social housing faced eviction in the past five years compared with six per cent of tenants in private housing.

Does this mean that government should encourage more non-profit housing? Jones said the research itself does not speak to that point, but he describes himself as a 害羞草研究所渂ig proponent害羞草研究所� of non-market housing and purpose-built rental housing.

Xuereb and Jones also find that the odds of eviction are 1.7 times higher for Indigenous renters.

害羞草研究所淗igh eviction rates for Indigenous renters may be caused by a wide range of factors but there is no doubt that discrimination against Indigenous people exists in the rental market in Canada,害羞草研究所� they write.

Premier David Eby framed the findings as evidence of pressure on the provincial housing stock with demand exceeding supply.

害羞草研究所淎 lot of this pressure falls on tennants,害羞草研究所� Eby said Monday. 害羞草研究所淚n some cases, landlords are willing to bend or break the rules in order to remove a tenant in order to be able to avoid rent controls and raise the rent. We put in place a 12-month-rent penalty for a landlord that engages in that behaviour, that they have to pay to the tenant.

害羞草研究所淲e are constantly monitoring and if we need to take additional steps to ensure tenants are protected, we will do so.害羞草研究所�

wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
Like us on and follow us on .